Adventures In Berk
by HairyPringle
Summary: I was editing my story, The Last One, when my laptop suddenly opened Google Chrome, to a webpage with two buttons. What happens next will seem cheesy perhaps, or it may seem awesome. That's for you to find out. T for violence/gore but I might raise it to M. (OCxAstrid) and Possible Fem!Toothless. I'm not sure if I'll make it so or not. LET ME KNOW IN THE REVIEWS!
1. PROLOGUE - Laptop

**PROLOGUE – Laptop.**

I was editing my story, The Last One, when my laptop suddenly opened Google Chrome, to a webpage with two buttons: A blue button and a red button. They were both shaped like pills.

I know what you're thinking, this is a game based on The Matrix, and I did too, initially. However, once I clicked the red button (Who wouldn't? It's a red button!), things got weird. I heard a voice in my head saying _"You made this choice, but you have many more coming."_ It sounded deep and Scottish, I guess you could call it Viking-like. My laptop chose that exact moment to turn off, conveniently, and my phone was mysteriously dead too. I can't remember much past that, only that there were swirls and stars dancing around my suddenly clouded vision.

After that, darkness dragged me into its cold embrace.

I woke up in a cove, about fifty metres in diameter and about ten metres deep. There was a moderately sized lake too. I noticed scorch marks everywhere, all over the rocks, grass and cliff faces. "What is this place?" I thought aloud. I jumped when I saw an axe fly past me, embedding one of its edges in the ground near me. I looked for its owner but saw nobody. I picked up the axe.

"OI!" I turned around and stared.

**Here's a new story for everyone, I have no idea where this will go. HOWEVER, the P.O.V is me and I haven't seen any stories like this yet.**

**-HairyPringle**


	2. Chapter 1 - Axe

**Here is the first chapter of my latest story, Adventures in Berk. ENJOY!**

**CHAPTER 1 – AXE**

I was dumbfounded. The young woman glaring at me was _stunning_, and when I say stunning, I mean that she must have been blessed every day since her birth. Her blonde hair was tied back, leaving behind a few bangs which covered one of her icy blue eyes. Her figure was moderately tall and slender, with a tight, red top, dark leggings and spiked leather armour. "Where am I?" I asked.

"I'll be the one asking questions here." The woman said, staring daggers at me. I shook my head to escape the trance I was in and stepped back, cautious. "I'll have my axe back now." She said, slightly less hostile.

"This is really well crafted, you know that." I admired the handiwork.

"Thanks, I got it for my birthday a few years ago." I was surprised.

"Why would you need something like this anyway?" I asked.

"You must be really stupid." The woman giggled. "There are dragon raids all the time."

"Oh. Well, in case you didn't notice, I'm not exactly sure where I am." This seemed to greatly amuse her.

"You're in Berk. Just near Raven's point actually." She said. My jaw dropped.

"Berk?" The last thing I remember was her laughing.

"What's his deal anyway?" I heard a young male voice as my eyes cracked open. I couldn't see much.

"I don't know son, but be careful. He's clearly not from around here. Just don't screw it up, ok?"

"Ok dad." A sigh, soft footsteps and a warm glow made their way into my presence. I sat against the wall, not knowing what was going on. That's when I saw _him_.

"Y-You…" My eyes were wide. "How?" The man looked amused. He was about six feet, as tall as me, with auburn hair and emerald green eyes illuminated by the flaming torch he brought down with him. I stared in awe as my mouth struggled to conjure the right phrase. "H-Hic-"

"Hiccup, yes." He cut me off. "I know, weird name… What's weirder is you know my name. How?" He asked as I looked away.

"I… Long story. I think…" I said. I didn't know what to think at the moment. I'm in a cell, in _BERK_, being interrogated by _HICCUP!_ This was getting too weird for me. "I don't know where I am."

"You sound funny, you're clearly foreign."

"Yeah… Foreign…" He chuckled.

"You seem nice, what's your name?" He asked. I stood up, offering my hand.

"Josh." I said as he took it and we shook, acquainting ourselves. I felt as though I had gained an ally in this mysterious land.

"Well, Josh. How about I bring you out? You look like you aren't going to hurt me." Hiccup fumbled with the keys for a moment until he found the right one, unlocking my prison. As soon as the door was open, a _huge_ man walked in. He was built like a concrete wall – tall and sturdy. When he spoke, I knew, instantly, who he was.

"What is it ye want with us, lad?" Stoick the Vast.

"I don't know how I got here, and I don't know why I came." I said.

"Well, I can see you made yourself a friend of my boy." He laughed.

"Why is that so funny? Hiccup is an admirable character!" I protested. This only made Stoick laugh harder and Hiccup look at his feet.

"Ok then lad, whatever you want to believe." Stoick turned and left, laughing heartily as he did so. Hiccup and I followed him out.

"Oh look, it's Useless and foreign boy!" I heard an arrogant voice call.

"What's with those pants?" Another voice.

"They're way too baggy." Slightly more feminine, noted.

"It looks kind of interesting actually." A slightly more timid voice cut the others off.

"They're called 'jeans' and they're actually rather comfy." I called out, letting on that I could hear them as Hiccup and I walked to his house. As the four teens revealed themselves, I recognised them almost instantly as Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Fishlegs. I didn't want everyone knowing that I knew them already, since I had a good idea that I was in Berk by now, so I just walked off.

I found myself at a large ring, with four massive doors. They looked slightly charred, which was interesting, and one was rattling. I went into the ring and opened a small hatch at the bottom.

I was ill-prepared for what happened next.

A small green blur shot out and darted right back at me, trying to bite my head. I ducked, barely dodging it as it crashed into the wall. "I'm not going to hurt you! It's ok!" I said, a hint of desperation in my voice. The tiny dragon hesitated and I crouched down, making myself seem like less of a threat. I put my hand out to reassure it but as I did, the crazy woman from before saw me and she yelled out, startling the little dragon.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The dragon psyched itself up again and worked its way into a frenzy, trying to nip me everywhere. It was sheer luck that I managed to grab its head and hold it still as the woman came down to help me. "You're a natural, maybe you'll get to be in training too." She suggested. "I'm Astrid, by the way." How could I not have seen that before? I knew that face was familiar, that perfect face, I could almost… _kiss_ it… I was broken out of my trance by a pain on my arm followed by a sharp _crack_ and my left cheek exploded with pain.

"What was that all about?" I heard Astrid say.

"What was what all about?" I replied, rubbing my face. She looked at me as if I was dumb.

"That kiss. What was it for?" Oh no… I didn't actually _do_ it, did I? I felt a blush creep its way up my cheeks as I tried to come up with something intelligent to say.

"I uuhhhh… hmmm yeah… I don't actually know…" My face felt like it was going to catch fire.

"Well, you should try to think about what you do more often." She glared. Was she _trying_ to make me die? Because she was doing a fine job. I got up and ran out of the Arena, dying on the inside.

It was getting dark and I was in the outskirts of the forest, near Berk, when I stumbled on a rock. I heard a rip and felt it too. I looked down and there was a nice, long tear running from my thigh to my lower shin along with a three inch long gash, blood starting to trickle down my leg. _Wow. Nature really has it in for me…_ I thought, annoyed as I grit my teeth and limped back to Berk, looking for Hiccup.

"Wow! Rocks really don't like you huh…" Hiccup could barely contain himself as he tried to bind my gash. It hurt quite badly now and I had to resort to hopping and limping on the sides of houses to get to Hiccup's house. "I'm not the best healer, you should go see Gothi. She should be able to help. Use this." He offered me a long stick with padding on the end. I put the padding under my shoulder and it fit quite well. "I made it for me whenever I get wounded in training." He explained as he tied off the cloth holding my right thigh together. "At least the cut's not deep."

"Yeah." I grimaced and started to hobble to Berk's healer.

Snotlout noticed me hobbling along and threw a taunt my way. I just ignored him and kept limping. The rest of the walk was rather peaceful. I got to look around Berk at night, illuminated by the moon, and listen to the dragons roar and-

Wait… Dragons?

Dragons.

"DRAGONS!" I yelled. Vikings everywhere sprang into action, some going to man the catapults, others going to the livestock pens. The first real signs of danger were when a large, blue dragon landed right in front of me, screeching. I fell backwards, ignoring the searing pain in my leg and scrambled backwards, trying to get away from the giant beast. They were much scarier up close than I had anticipated. Looking back, maybe that red button was a bad idea, then I wouldn't be in this mess. I bumped into something and when I looked, I wish I hadn't. It was large and red. But most importantly, it had just lit itself on fire. I scrambled away from both dragons, only to be surrounded by those two, and one with _two heads_. The names escaped me but I knew everything about their strategies, weaknesses, everything except their names. I looked around, mortal fear in my eyes, trying to distract the dragons before the inevitable happened. I heard a screech and the dragons all looked toward the noise. I turned my head and saw a beautiful, vivid purple explosion which erupted in yellow flame. I knew that it was a dragon not to be trifled with but my attention was returned to my impending doom, surrounding me on all sides. I closed my eyes and accepted my fate when I heard a roar, one of the dragons had been attacked. I opened my eyes and watched the others try to help it but a thick _crack_ sickened me. It was one of the dragons. It lay, limp in front of Stoick. He offered his hand and I took it, he pulled me up and half carried me to Gothi's house. "You'll be safe here." He said.

"Thanks, I was trying to get here anyway." I motioned to my leg. It was still bleeding and a long, red trail led from where I was lying moments earlier. A concerned expression washed over Stoick's face as he gave me a small bag of coins, then he turned and continued fighting off the dragon horde. I knocked on the door and waited for a minute before Gothi opened the door, summoning me inside quickly.

I groaned as Gothi cleaned and stitched up my leg in silence. She put on a dark green paste which seemed to dull the pain a little. She then bound it in a fresh bandage and padding. I gave Gothi the bag of coins and she smiled. I walked out, not noticing any of the bandaging or what lay concealed beneath. "Hey!" Astrid called out. "Make yourself useful. Grab a bucket." I walked over and did so, following Astrid to a deep well. I assumed its purpose when I saw a house burst into flames. Hurriedly, we filled our buckets and ran over, careful not to spill any of the water or run into any other Vikings. When we got to the house, it was engulfed in flames. I saw no point in emptying both buckets and I was glad I didn't. I heard a hissing noise and shortly after, an explosion rocked me to my core. A stray ember landed on Astrid's armour and lit her shoulder pad on fire. I jumped up and threw the water on her. Stunned, she turned and glared at me. "That was meant for the house, why did you-"

"Look at your shoulder." I cut her off. As soon as she looked at the burn and the blackened splinter in her shoulder pad, her expression softened.

"Oh… Thanks." I turned my head to conceal a blush.

"Anyway, one of the buckets was destroyed in that blast, we're going to have a harder time fighting fires." I said, watching everywhere around me. My eyes caught a black spot, growing in size. I only knew what it was when I heard the unique whistle. "GET DOWN!" I shouted as I pushed Astrid away, the black dragon latching on to me._ This isn't right._ I thought as it carried me up into the sky._ It's not supposed to be doing this._ My thoughts were interrupted by a net wrapping itself around the dragon and myself, a screech and a long fall.

I didn't even notice when the dragon tried to turn to protect me as we crashed through the trees and into the soft shrubbery on the forest floor.

**Yeah, so I was in that bola... Also, I seem to be developing a crush on Astrid. Although, in my defence, who wouldn't?**

**PS - If people think I spell things weird (like colour and recognise instead of color and recognize), I am AUSTRALIAN!**

**See you in the next chapter OR in my other story, The Last One (ironically since it's my FIRST story)**

**-HairyPringle**


	3. Chapter 2 - Taken

**Ok, since exams were all through the first half of November, I didn't have much time to write this. I'll be getting my results back on the 15th so wish me luck!**

**Anyway, here's a reward for your patience :)**

**CHAPTER 2 – TAKEN**

I woke up dazed and tangled in a thick rope with something warm against my back. I was startled when it moved but I couldn't get a look at it properly so I stayed awake as long as I could endure. Ages passed before I heard movement, not far off but it sounded like someone upset.

"…but I manage to lose an entire dragon?!" I heard a whack "OW!" There was almost complete silence for the next minute but I stayed quiet, waiting for what happened next.

"Oh, oh I have downed this mighty beast! Oh this fixes everything!" I knew, instantly who it was but didn't see the hopelessness in the statement until then. A grunt confirmed my initial fears as a grunt escaped behind my back. An exclamation of surprise escaped Hiccup's throat and nearly escaped mine. I closed my eyes when he pulled his dagger out, I heard it unsheathe, and he started going on about how he was "a Viking," which I only partially believed.

"Stop." I croaked, urgency lining my barely audible voice. Hiccup sighed.

"I did this…" I don't think he heard me.

I heard sawing soon and noticed a change in the movement behind me. It became faster, more frantic. Almost as if it was…

Nearly instantly, I was thrown out of the confines of the rope and onto the ground. I tried to stretch but my brain was not allowing it. It was more focussed on the dragon in front of me, staring death into the eyes of Hiccup.

_Night Fury._ I realised. I held my breath as it roared, loud and less demonic than I expected. I barely got to react before it roared loudly, picked me up again and flew off.

The flight wasn't long and I knew something was wrong as the dragon screeched, veering dangerously close to a tree before throwing me and crashing into the cove. I barely landed in the lake, slicing my arm open on a rock which was concealed in a murky area under water. Before I knew it, I was being yanked out of the water by the dragon. I still don't know why it took me. I scrambled away from it, terrified for my life as it watched me. It seemed curious as I wrapped my jumper around my arm, covering the wound. I sat against a rock and stared at it for a while, then I heard a growl. I jumped back but the dragon showed no hostility. I realised, as it looked down, that it was hungry. "Why don't you just… fly off and get something to eat?" I asked it. A sad warble came from the dragon as it showed me its tail. One of its fins was gone, replaced by a bleeding gash to match my own.

That was when I realised everything. Hiccup was still the village screw-up, he hadn't seen this dragon and he hadn't saved Berk from the Red Death! I knew that he had no idea what I was saying when I called him an "admirable character". I knew that he had never introduced Astrid to Toothless because it _never happened!_ I knew exactly what to do.

"Hold on buddy, I know exactly who to get." I told the dragon, shuffling towards the edge of the cove. I wasn't about to ruin Hiccup's chance at popularity, I was going to get him through this.

I ran towards Hiccup's house, almost bowling Astrid over in the process. I was nearly at Hiccup's house when I realised that I should probably tame the dragon first, just to make things easier on Hiccup. I started to walk towards the docks, catching my breath after the run (It's not easy, running as fast as you can through moderately dense forest with wounds everywhere.).

When I got to the dock, there were a few startled gasps as Vikings saw the state I was in. I didn't know but I had a large gash running down my back, scabbed over. I had bandages all over my thigh and my jumper had stained with blood from my arm. It was a wonder I was alive, let alone conscious. I went to the fisherman and asked for a few fish. He was sceptical but complied, giving me a sack to put them in. I went up and was about to make my way over to the forest when I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I swung my good arm wildly, fist clenched, as Snotlout ducked and ran. I grabbed a rock and threw it at him, using my strong (but wounded) arm. It got him in the back of his head and I heard a _crack_ as the rock broke and Snotlout stumbled, clutching his now bleeding head, muttering curses under his breath. I started to limp to the forest, adrenaline wearing off quickly as pain made itself at home throughout my whole body.  
>_<p>

I barely made it to the cove as I slumped to the ground in agony, barely able to move. The dragon heard my cries of pain and padded over quietly. It looked at me and motioned to my arm and leg. I used my good arm to undo the tight knot in my jumper, letting the dragon pull it off carefully. It looked at my arm and warbled sadly. The next thing I knew, pain, of which the likes of I had never encountered, exploded in my arm, causing me to black out or a few seconds.

After I recovered, I looked at my arm. Where the gash had been, there were now pitch black scales. I stared in awe as the scales spread up my arm and down my back. Another explosion of pain left me on my back, in agony. When I had recovered from yet another blackout I realised that there was a large wound on my back I had not noticed. _It must have been from the bola._ I thought as pain ripped through my leg. This time, I passed out.

When I came to, the dragon was nowhere to be seen and I was lying in the shade of a rock. I sat up and looked around for a moment when I realised it was getting late. I had to get back to Berk. I got up, grabbed the empty sack from near the lake and made my way to the Haddock household, not knowing that Astrid was watching me.

Once I had reached the house, I knocked on the door. It was a minute before Stoick answered. "What do ye want boy?" He asked, irritated by something.

"I was wondering if I could have somewhere to stay the night, it's getting cold and I have no bed." I confessed.

"It's ok, I've got this." I heard a voice behind me. It was Astrid, of all people. "I have an extra bed at my place."

"Are you sure, Astrid? It won't be too much fuss having me around?" I asked.

"It'll be fine. I usually live alone anyway. A guest would be nice." She smiled.

"Ok then, I guess ye have a bed now err" Stoick paused for a moment.

"Josh." I finished for him.

"Josh, thanks." He confirmed and shut the door. I turned to look at Astrid, she was biting her lip.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that the bed isn't very big and…" Astrid attempted to hide a sob.

"It's ok if you don't want me to sleep at your place, I'll just go down to the docks." I reassured her.

"No, it's ok. Plus, my bed's big enough for two." I almost passed out as she turned and walked towards her house. I gathered my senses and caught up to her.

We were almost at Astrid's house when she asked the one question I didn't want to answer.

"What happened to your wounds?" I had no idea how to explain.

"I found a bunch of herbs in the forest while I was looking for something. I can't remember what they look like but they have great healing qualities." I mentally punched myself for coming up with such a stupid explanation.

"What were you looking for?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing. I found it though so it's ok."

"Oh." She seemed disappointed. "We're here." She stopped at a small house on the outskirts of Berk, near the arena. It was simply designed and I was startled by the roomy interior. I saw an axe hung on the wall with a pair of Zippleback heads on either side. "Which one's the gas one?" I pointed at them.

"I can't remember, it was too long ago and it wasn't my kill." I noticed her gaze drop and I decided to let the secrets behind it remain so. I felt and heard my stomach growl and I felt heat approach my face as Astrid looked at me. My tension was eased slightly when I heard her giggle, however, and I smiled as she made her way to her 'kitchen' area. "I'm not that great at cooking, sorry." She confessed as she collected a few things to make dinner.

"That's ok, I was only really learning to work around the kitchen when I was brought here." Astrid chuckled but she stopped as soon as she saw the tear roll down my cheek. I sniffed and wiped it away, hiding my pain like I had done so many times back home. _Heh, home… Home's a place you feel loved and appreciated… No, stop. Your friends and family miss you. _My mind was in pieces after the recent events.

"It's ok." Astrid reassured as she put an arm around my shoulder. I broke then, and settled for burying my face in Astrid's shoulder, letting out all of the pain of my past into a dark patch on her tunic.

After dinner, which mostly consisted of me telling Astrid what it was like back home, we decided that an early night might not hurt. I wrapped myself in the furs Astrid had brought down from her room upstairs and I settled on the floor near the fireplace, sleep welcoming me into its warm, loving embrace.

I woke up sweating and breathing heavily, with no idea why, I couldn't remember if I had a nightmare or not but it certainly felt like it. I noticed a soft hand press onto my shoulder, I looked up to see that Astrid was looking down at me, concerned. "Do you want to come upstairs? The bed should be big enough." I got up hesitantly, not sure of what to do.

"Ok." I didn't think of my response, only that she was there, willing to help me. Astrid Hofferson, of all people, her golden hair flowing down her shoulders and covered by nothing but leggings and bindings. As we made our way upstairs, I felt a primal urge try to surface as I looked at Astrid, absorbing her beauty in the dim light of the fire. I managed to suppress it but I stumbled and Astrid looked back at me, intrigued. "I couldn't see the step in front of these furs." _Ugh… _I _really_ need work on my excuses. Astrid giggled and held some of the furs to make my journey up the stairs a little less hazardous.

We reached Astrid's room and I put the furs in the corner, where Astrid had placed hers. I went over to the bed and made myself comfortable, closing my eyes as Astrid got under the sheets too. _Lucky that this bed's big enough for two…_ I thought as I felt pressure on my side, I opened my eyes and saw that Astrid had rolled over and was now lying parallel to my side. I felt the urge resurface and it was a struggle to suppress it again. Once I felt it pass, my eyelids felt _incredibly _heavy, almost as if there were enormous boulders pulling them down. On the brink of sleep, I muttered into Astrid's hair, which had made its way onto my face, "Thank you." I heard a hum come from Astrid as I once again wrapped myself in the comfort of sleep, Astrid at my side.  
>_<p>

**And that's chapter 2 done! I feel like this is really going to work since I find it ****_much_**** easier to write than my other story (The Last One). Anyway, I'll be away for a week starting the 6th of Dec so expect an update around Christmas :)**

**-HairyPringle**


	4. Chapter 3 - Dragon

**HELLO AGAIN! I got back from my 'holiday' on the 13th. Then I got my results back on the 15th. I'm pretty pleased with the score I got but I feel I could have done a bit better.**

**Anyway, here's another chapter.**

**CHAPTER 3 – DRAGON**

I woke up when Astrid moved and I realised that she was sprawled over the top of me. Annoyed that I couldn't move without waking her and not wanting to do so, I lay in bed, thinking about what I could do to help the dragon until Astrid shifted in her sleep again. It wasn't too long before my thoughts were brought to a grinding halt by two deep blue eyes staring into mine for a long, intense moment (And might I add, what a moment!). A quick "Good morning" was exchanged and then the moment passed and Astrid moved off me, shaking her head as she did. _What was that?_ I thought as I got up and out of bed. I left the room, so that Astrid could change into her clothes (Yeah, I have respect for people… most people…) and waited near the door downstairs. Surprisingly, Astrid was quick to change and she was downstairs rather quick. I offered to make breakfast and Astrid showed me everything in the kitchen. Improvising, I attempted to make scrambled eggs (Something I always used to enjoy in the morning) with a pot over the fire, which had died down somewhat. The eggs were done quickly but required continuous stirring until I served them on pieces of bread Astrid had gotten out while I was cooking. We sat down and started eating. Instantly, I saw Astrid's face light up as if she were getting a new axe. "This is really good!" She said between mouthfuls.

"Thanks, I always used to have it back home." I tried to hide the sorrow I felt towards the sensitive topic but Astrid saw my expression change and quickly averted the topic to something more constructive.

"What are you going to do today?" Damn, I have to get food for that dragon… How am I going to cover this up?

"I was going to do some target practice out in the forest after stopping by the smithy, I need to get something to throw."

"Ok, do you want me to come with you?" She asked. I freaked out internally for multiple reasons.

"No, I'm ok. I seem to do better alone. Maybe you can teach me some tricks with an axe tonight." I suggested. Astrid seemed a little suspicious of my sudden answer but accepted it. At least, that's what I hoped.

I went to get another basket of fish which were from the last catch from the docks, explaining that target practice in the forest is a great use of any excess fish. The Viking who gave me the basket seemed to buy my story, which was fortunate since I'd rather not think about what he would do if he hadn't.

I went up to the smith, assuming Hiccup would be there. I made my way to the front window and I was met with a large man with a horned helmet, a long, blond, plaited moustache, several bands around his right wrist, he wore baggy pants, a brown tunic and fur shoulder pads. He also had a wooden right leg and a hammer in place of his left hand. "Ey Laddie, wha can I do for yeh today?" He spoke with a reasonably thick Scottish accent, although I had heard many people with similar accents so I assumed it was the norm.

"I was looking for Hiccup, is he here?" I asked.

"No, not at the moment. He's always runnin' off ye know, try the forest. He might be there. Oh, also, would yeh let him know tha' Gobber wants him in the Forge if yeh find him."

"Sure thing."

"Thanks. Saves me runnin' 'round with this all day. Still hurts from time to time." Gobber showed off his peg leg.

"Dragons?" I asked.

"Yeh. Nasty things, they are. Not a month after one took my arm!" I knew that Gobber was a storyteller. Particularly when the story was his.

"That's unfortunate. Anyway, I really must be heading off." I grabbed the basket and walked off to the forest.

When I got to the cove, I saw a shield embedded in between two rocks. _This isn't good._ I thought as I carried the basket down to the Dragon. I got down just fine, but the dragon was nowhere to be found. I put the basket near the water's edge and tipped it towards the cliff. _That's disgusting…_I thought as a shadow emerged from behind a large boulder.

I froze as it approached the food and I jumped back, nearly falling in the water as it shrieked and jumped back from the pile of fish. _OH! I'm so dumb…_ I mentally scolded myself. "Sorry, I didn't know there was an eel in there. Hang on, I'll get it out." I apologised to the dragon as I reached into the pile and pulled out the eel. It was very slimy and I nearly lost my grip when I threw it in the water.

The dragon calmed down a bit after that and eagerly dug into the fish. I watched as it swallowed the fish whole and noticed something. _Toothless, huh…_ I looked at its gums, noticing that it had spots where teeth might go, but no teeth were visible.

It wasn't long before the dragon was finished and despite the amount I gave it, its stomach growled and it approached me, curious and wanting more food. I fell back onto a rock, stuttering "I-I- I don't have any more." The dragon paused, then it started to heave. I was concerned until it dropped a half-eaten fish in my lap and sat back, watching me. I stared between it and the fish for some time before it motioned to the fish. I looked at it again, then looked at the dragon. _Really? It wants me to eat this? Ah well, I guess I'll just have to suck it up… _And with that, I took a bite.

The flavour was instantly overpowering and I nearly gagged. Just lucky I grew up with a cast iron stomach. I managed to swallow and I looked back up at the dragon. It lapped its tongue around its mouth for a bit, almost as if it was asking for feedback. I smiled up at it, the grin cheesy. My expression changed to honest amazement as the dragon curved its mouth into a smile. I slowly reached up to it but it shrunk back from the hand I offered and 'flew' off to another area in the cove.

That's when I heard the stick snap and a unique voice cursing sarcastically.

_Hiccup._

"Oh, hey Josh." He said, spotting me as I turned around.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just came out here looking for something." His face fell.

"I think I may have found it, but you have to be really careful." I said, ushering absolute caution. I led Hiccup behind a boulder. "Do you think you could get a sketch? He can't fly." I whispered.

"And a downed dragon is a dead dragon. We need to help it." He said.

"I'm trying to, but I don't know how it's going to react to you so I might need some time."

"Ok. I understand." Hiccup said.

"Hey, I meant nothing bad about it, you shot it down!" That seemed to lift his spirits. Then I punched his arm.

"What was that for?" He asked, irritated.

"I was in that bola." I said. Hiccup stared in disbelief. "Now, can I trust you to keep this a secret?" I gestured to the dragon, perched in a tree about twenty metres away.

"Yeah." And with that, Hiccup left the cove.

I was bored after some time, so I grabbed a stick and started to sketch what the dragon had looked like when it smiled. It took me a while and I had to start again when the stick broke and destroyed the picture. I didn't notice the dragon waddle up behind me and watch me drawing. I _did_ notice, however, when it grabbed a tree and started to do the same thing.

After some time, it finished. But not after smacking me in the face with leaves a couple of times. I went to walk out of the picture but stood on a line, this received a rather annoyed snarl from the dragon. I took my foot away and gently padded it down on the line, to test the dragon's temper a little.

I took a step over the line, missing it by less than my foot's width. I turned and took a step back to make my way out of the picture but I didn't notice that I was edging closer to the dragon.

Another step, another relieved sigh.

It continued like this for a minute, maybe two, until I nearly bumped into the dragon backwards. I turned around slowly and raised my hand. The dragon snarled a little. _This is not going to be easy._ I though as my brain racked itself thinking of my options in the situation I was in.

It was interesting that I picked the option that I did.

I closed my eyes, turned away and extended my arm towards the dragon. I kept my eyes shut as I felt the dragon's warm breath against my hand. My heart was beating a hole in my chest and my pulse was deafening. I gasped as I felt the cool, black scales press against my palm. It was interesting, rough between the scales, but the scales themselves were the smoothest surfaces I had ever felt. I opened my eyes and looked up at the dragon. It opened its eyes and pulled away from my hand, snorting. It turned and left without a sound. I looked at the ground and noticed one if its scales had come off. I picked it up and put it in my pocket.

"Hey! How are you?" I heard Astrid call as I was walking back to Berk.

"I'm alright." I said, a little shaken from my experience but not showing it. "Did you get your axe?"

"OH! I totally forgot! That's really not like me, though. I usually take it everywhere." Astrid looked puzzled as she came over and walked beside me. "I guess we can just walk, or use sticks."

"I'm not fussed." _As long as I get to spend time with you._ I said/thought. _What are you thinking? This isn't right. I'm going to reveal my secret if I'm not careful._ I looked at the sky and groaned at my internal conflict.

"What's wrong?" Astrid asked, looking at me.

"Oh, nothing." I said, looking back at Astrid and giving a small smile. "Just forgot to do something back home before I came here, that's all." I chuckled but Astrid looked rather serious.

"Something's up, you don't normally joke about your old home. Plus, this is your new home, isn't it?" She nudged me.

"Yeah. I must say, it's _so_ good being free from my old world. I have a reason to like the world now!" I said. Astrid looked confused.

"What was wrong with it?" She asked.

"There were wars over everything, our leaders were screwing everything up. Everywhere was basically preparing for war with everyone. It wasn't a fun place to live." I said.

"Oh. I guess here _is_ better then." She said, looking like she regretted saying it that way specifically.

"Yeah, it is. Much better." I said. This seemed to cheer her up. "The animals are _so_ much more exotic!"

"Oh, you should have been here for the good stuff. There was one _huge_ dragon, probably four times the size of a Nadder, it had two sets of wings and someone was on its back!" I froze when she said it had a rider.

"A rider?" I was concerned now. What if I had to ride that night fury? What if someone finds out? What will I say if they do? This was getting really bad really fast. I had to come up with too many answers in not enough time.

"Yeah, nobody has any idea who they are but they were staring at the chief for a while." Astrid said, intrigued."

"Huh." Was all I could say without me screwing things up for myself. Astrid kept telling me about all the dragons she had encountered during raids for some time until I stopped. She turned around and looked at me funny, then I spoke up.

"Have you ever seen a night fury?" She almost laughed.

"No one's ever seen one and lived to tell the tale."

"I think I may have, but it flew off before I could get it." She seemed rather impressed. Then I got the scale out of my pocket and showed her. "This fell off it, I think it went down and scraped itself pretty bad." Astrid stared at the scale in awe for some time, before grabbing my arm and dragging me towards the chief's house, a grin plastering her face._ This is not the normal Astrid. I must have some sort of effect on her or something because I have never got this sort of attention from anyone before._ I thought as we arrived on Stoick's door step. He opened the door and looked down at us.

"It's late, you two, shouldn't you be having dinner now?" He asked.

"Josh saw a Night Fury!" Astrid blurted. Stoick's eyes widened and his eyebrows were raised to his helmet.

"You _what _now?" Stoick nearly roared. I pulled out the scale and he nearly knocked me over with his playful punch to my shoulder. "The gods must have blessed you, lad. You're the first one to have, or at least survive, an encounter with one!" I smiled.

"Beginners' luck." I shrugged. _This could have gone _much_ worse. _I thought as Stoick laughed.

"We shall feast tomorrow night and you can tell us all of the encounter. Oh, this will be a tale to remember!" Stoick was brimming with joy as we bid him goodnight and left for Astrid's house.

We had fish for dinner, again. I assumed it was the norm around Berk since it isn't really in abundance of any other meat. Astrid had changed before I came in and we were about to get into bed when Astrid said "You're not the only one who's seen a Night Fury." I looked at her.

"You have too?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was in the cove, just near Raven's point. A day or two ago." I gulped.

"That must have been exciting." I said, nervous.

"It was." She was glaring at me now, so naturally I started to fidget. Because if there's one thing that hides nerves, it's fidgeting…

"You look like you saw something you didn't like, too." I stuttered a little. This was getting bad.

"Yeah, you were there." She was glaring right into my soul now. "In the cove."

"Oh, about that, I _was_ going to tell everyone but I didn't-" I was cut off by a sharp punch landing on my arm.

"You scared me! I thought it was going to eat you! And then, you just walked off? I mean, _who_ does that after what you had gone through?" She asked.

"I don't know. I guess I mustn't have tasted too good." I replied, a little sarcastic. I nearly collapsed to the floor and died when I felt Astrid's face align with the side of mine as she kissed my cheek.

**OH MAN! IT FELT SO GOOD! I AM SO LUCKY! So, here's that romance bit showing. I probably won't be doing too much with the romance in the story, it'll just be something to add tension in the tense bits and sometimes humour in the less tense bits.**

**Anyway, my other story (The Last One) reached 30k views last night and I'm super happy about it! I'll probably be squeezing another chapter for that in before Christmas so you guys should go take a look.**

**Anyways, If I don't upload before then, have a ****_very_**** happy Christmas and I'll see you all soon.**

**-HairyPringle**


	5. Chapter 4 - 'Fin'ally

**Happy new year! (sorry its a bit late) I have a new chapter for my patient followers :)**

**CHAPTER 4 – 'FIN'ALLY**

PRONUNCIATION:  
>Jól – Yule<p>

I woke up cuddling Astrid, furs and clothes providing much needed warmth in the bitter cold of what I believed was late January, but Astrid called Jól. I felt Astrid shift in my arms and knew that she would stir. I waited for her to stir, fortunately it didn't take long, and we went downstairs to make breakfast. Scrambled eggs warmed our bellies again as we went out to start early training. I had gotten a sword from the smith in exchange for a week's worth of work and I met Astrid in the arena. We sparred for a while, until we got tired (which means until I was covered in scratches and Astrid got bored of defeating me consistently). We ended up just chatting on the floor of the arena for a while.

I figured I'd let Astrid get some target practice done while I went down to the docks and got a bag of fish. I took it to the cove, almost bumping into Astrid, and went down to meet my newest 'friend'. I emptied the bag in front of him and reassured him that there was no eel. He dug in eagerly, clearly starving as I walked around him, studying his every feature. I remembered as much as I could until I heard a rock falling. I whirled around and saw Hiccup, frozen to the spot. "Come on, then. Just be careful, he only trusts me at the moment."

"Ok." He clambered down the rock until he reached a ledge. "I want to get that sketch done, so I can help him out as soon as I can."

"I guess that's fair. You should be able to see better from there." I turned around and patted Toothless (Yeah, I figured I'd name him that since I couldn't get that image of his gummy smile out of my mind…). "Can you spread your wings for me bud?" The dragon did so, and I turned to Hiccup and mouthed "Quickly."

Hiccup was finished with the drawing and I climbed up to talk to him. "Do you think there's something wrong with him?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's missing half of his tailfin; that seems really important for something like him."

"Maybe we could make him a prosthetic."

"It would be tricky, but we can try."

Hiccup had me melting down the metal for the framework of the fin we were making for Toothless. It was long after Gobber had gone to bed so Hiccup and I were safe to do whatever we wanted. I got the metal out of the smelter and gave it to Hiccup, who shaped it while it cooled a little. He was about to teach me why they put the metals in water when I told him the reasons. He seemed surprised but I explained that I had learned about metals in my time. We continued the process until the rods were done.

I let Hiccup stitch the leather (I was never any good at stitching) while I got the parts he asked for. It didn't take too long and we were able to hide it and go to bed before suspicion was raised.

I took the fish to the cove while Hiccup lugged the prosthetic we had made for Toothless. It took us a few minutes since we didn't want anyone watching us. I was already paranoid about Astrid enough, she was rather cross at me for disturbing her last when I snuck in and went to sleep. I wasn't sure of what she was cross about, however. I'm not great with subtlety. As I entered the cove, Toothless bounded over and nuzzled my shoulder. I chuckled and dragged the basket into a large patch of grass, where I emptied its contents for the big baby to dig in. I then snuck around and helped Hiccup hold Toothless' tail still while we tried to attach the tailfin. I ended up sitting on his tail as Hiccup tightened the buckles. I knew Toothless had finished when I felt his tail shift under me. What I hadn't anticipated, however, was the sudden shooting into the sky. I noticed my view of the cove getting further and further, until ground turned into sky and I felt the wind change direction.

We were falling.

I acted on instinct and opened the prosthetic. To my surprise, relief and a whole host of other emotions, it worked. I heard Hiccup laugh out loud as Toothless swooped over the lake. I felt a jerk as he snorted and flicked me off, sending me into the water below. Except, I held on a bit too long and ended up flung towards a large boulder. I braced myself for impact when I felt something crash into me and send me into the ground nearby. From the sharp crack my ankle made on impact, I knew something bad had happened to it. It wasn't until I tried to put weight on it did I realise it was dislocated. Relief and pain shot through my whole body as I collapsed to the ground, clutching my foot. The mud on my clothes was the least of my concerns as Hiccup dashed over and looked at my foot, twisted at an unnatural angle. "I can't do much to help you here, I'll get dad." He suggested.

"No, not here." I said, knowing that if he saw Toothless, I'd be done for. "Take me back."

"I can try, but no promises. But if you fall in, I'm getting him." Hiccup said.

"Then I won't fall." Determined, I hauled myself up on the boulder I nearly hit and Hiccup helped me over to the part of the cove we always entered from. Toothless decided that now would be a great time to lick my foot, so he did. I groaned as he rested his head on the ground for me to sit on. He stood tall, cutting my climb by more than half. I knocked my foot against a rock as I was lifted and winced with pain, but I didn't repeat the incident as we made our way out of the forest and to the Haddock household.

"You must have a really weak leg lad…" Stoick muttered as he looked at my foot, trying to contain laughter. "What kind of lands did ye grow up in?" I proceeded to tell him about a few things I did in my life before Berk when I felt a _pop_ and pain, the likes of which I had never experienced before, shot up my leg. I grit my teeth as my foot realigned and slotted back into its place. "Now, ye'd best be restin' that leg for a while, else ye knock it again." Stoick couldn't help himself this time. He burst out in laughter as I left his house and hobbled over to Astrid's. I noticed a few glares from the other teens as I 'walked', especially from Snotlout, he was staring at me with a murderous look on his face. Word must have spread that I was sleeping at Astrid's house and it was perfectly clear that Snotlout was jealous.

Once I was inside, I sat down at the table. I figured Astrid would be training so I looked around her apartment properly. I saw a pile of skulls not far from the ones mounted on the wall. They were each a different size and shape. I didn't realise that she had killed so many dragons until now and it hit me, quite hard, that Toothless may well become one of them if I didn't hide him well enough.

I had been wandering around the house for a while when I heard a noise from outside. I was upstairs so I looked out the window and saw Snotlout dragging an unconscious Astrid towards the forest. I had no idea what he was going to do to her so I rushed downstairs, ignoring the pain in my leg, and followed him from a distance. As soon as we were well out of Berk, Snotlout dropped Astrid and got out a knife. He was about to bring the knife to her neck when he turned it and started cutting her tunic. I felt sick watching him do what he was doing, and knowing his intentions, so I grabbed a rock and threw it. It narrowly missed Snotlout's head and as he turned around, I ducked behind some shrubbery. He shrugged it off and slashed off the rest of the tunic. I growled under my breath, knowing I couldn't beat him in a fight.

That was when I got the best idea since I arrived on this island.

I grabbed a stick and threw it at Snotlout. It hit him and as he turned, I ducked behind a tree. I kept spiralling my way closer until I was right behind him. Astrid was now only in her undergarments but I feared if I had done nothing, she would be in a much worse state. I held a small log in my hand and stood up to swing it. It got Snotlout in the head and he fell to the side. Astrid stirred and I knew my current position would look bad, so I hid.

From where I was behind the tree, I could hear her gasp and clutch at the remains of her clothes. I heard her growl as she looked at Snotlout, who was getting up from his surprise attack. Snotlout was then quickly reminded that Astrid was a superior fighter as he lost his knife to her. She ended up chasing him off with a slash on his arm. I smirked as he ran off, cursing under his breath as he did so. I then heard something I never thought I would hear. Astrid sat down and started sobbing. I decided that this was a good moment to come out and comfort her. I got up and a stick snapped under my foot. _Way to be subtle, idiot…_ I scolded myself as Astrid threatened the unseen threat "Keep away." She said with a shaky voice.

"It's ok. I stopped him from doing anything to you." I came out from my hiding spot and she calmed down.

"Apart from my clothes." I tried not to laugh since I knew this was a delicate situation.

"Yeah…"

"Do you know where we are?" Astrid asked, not trying too hard to hide anything. I was amused by that.

"Yeah, I could probably get us back." I said as I took off my cloak and handed it to Astrid. (I had gotten some clothes from the tailor so I would fit in easier. It seemed to work a little but people still give me sceptical looks…) She took it with a smile and thanked me as she put it on and we headed out of the forest and toward her house.

I knew something was up as we arrived at Astrid's house. I looked at her as she glared at me. "I know what happened in the forest." I grew concerned as she approached me, shutting the door with more force than normal.

"Okay, I know what it looked like. But you've got to trust mmm-"

My fears were dissolved as she crashed her lips into mine. I felt my pulse quicken as she dropped the cloak and started to tug at my tunic. I knew this was something she wanted to do but I didn't feel ready. I didn't know what to think as the tunic slid over my shoulders and landed on the floor, discarded like the cloak. I broke the kiss and stared at Astrid's eyes. "Shouldn't we take this slowly?" I asked but before I knew it, she was taking me upstairs, seductive eyes draining my brain of coherency.

* * *

><p><strong>Oooooh steamy! I like where this is going!<strong>

**Thanks for all the follows/reviews/faves/etc/etc/etc/slashingbecauseinsanity...**

**I just got back from a holiday and it was FANTASTIC! I had an amazing time and I wish I could go back!**

**See you all in the next chapter :)**

**-HairyPringle**


End file.
